They Surprised Her
It wasn’t just the fact that Josephine Gellar had been dead wrong about the Masons that surprised her most. It was actually the way the Masons had handled the entire saga.
Josephine put herself in their shoes. She had to admit that she would have reacted differently. It was a humbling experience and she could not believe how wrong about them she had been.
The Couple
Warren Gellar and Susan Mason met in their first year of clerking together at the prestigious law offices of Bingham, Thompson, and Mooney. It was a highly prized opportunity for budding attorneys in Maine.
Naturally, both were ecstatic to work there straight out of law school. While they were happy together from day one, many of Warren’s friends and family members thought they were incompatible.
The Problem
On the surface, Warren and Susan seemed like complete opposites. The reason was that their backgrounds were at odds. Warren’s family had always been wealthy and had an extravagant family estate.
In contrast, Susan’s upbringing appeared to have been far more humble. While the couple never allowed social status to come between them, Warren sometimes worried that his parents felt differently.
A Closed Book
Susan was always guarded when it came to speaking about her family and childhood. In fact, after being together for three years, Warren still barely knew anything about her family and hadn’t even met her parents yet.
Regardless, Warren realized that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Susan. He planned everything perfectly but was a little concerned about one thing, or rather, one person.
A Rock And A Hard Place
Warren’s mom, Josephine Mary Gellar, had always been an austere woman. Her tastes were extravagant and, truth be told, she could often be a typical snob. Since Susan was the opposite, always simple and humble, Warren sometimes felt caught between them.
His dad wasn’t much better. Warren’s parents had a habit of passing snide comments about Susan’s dressing and often insinuated to Warren that they felt like Susan was beneath him.
The Big News
Despite the reservations about his parents, Warren was deeply in love with Susan. Seeking to make this love official, one day he excitedly called them with some big news.
Warren had proposed to Susan and she said yes! His parents weren’t as excited as they ought to have been but Warren didn’t care, because he was. It also meant that he would finally get to meet Susan’s parents.
A Huge Event
Susan’s parents expressed their excitement for the news over a brief call with the family and humbly offered to chip in for the wedding expenses.
Being the fancy and controlling types they were, Warren’s parents refused to accept any money from the Masons. They then set about planning a lavish wedding for the couple and Susan’s parents were relegated to being treated like ordinary guests.
They Met At Last
On the big day, like everything the Gellars did, the wedding was an opulent and over-the-top affair. In contrast, Susan had chosen a simple wedding dress, humble make-up, and a modest hairstyle.
While Warren’s parents wore designer outfits, when Warren finally met Susan’s parents, he immediately saw where she got her humility from. Unfortunately, not everyone felt the same way as Josephine was being extra moody that day.
Susan Was Furious
Susan’s parents reminded Warren so much of her and he loved their salt-of-the-earth personalities. Mr. and Mrs. Mason were dressed in humble outfits. In contrast to the Gellars’ overpriced attire, the Masons looked very plain.
After some champagne, Josephine’s mood worsened and she began passing comments. Susan was shocked and furious when Josephine actually began insinuating that the Masons should either change their “embarrassing” outfits or leave the wedding.
They All Left
Josephine’s behavior and the fact that Warren’s father tried to defend it, was the last straw. The Masons never reacted with any anger or malice and chose to leave the ceremony without causing a commotion.
They didn’t want any of this to ruin the couple’s day so they tried to leave quietly. Susan was having none of it and left herself to go after them. Warren, disgusted with his parents’ behavior, followed.
The Gift
Warren and Susan caught up with her parents as they were leaving the parking lot. Warren apologized for his parents’ behavior. The Masons assured him there were no hard feelings and they were only leaving because they did not want Warren’s parents to feel uncomfortable.
Before they could leave, Susan’s dad gave Warren an envelope and said it was their wedding gift to the couple. When Warren opened it, he was stunned and confused.
The Truth About The Masons
Inside the envelope was the title deed to a house in one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in Maine. The Masons explained that since the Gellars paid for the wedding, they decided to splurge on the wedding gift.
It turned out that the Masons came from a long line of cattle ranchers and supplied beef to half the supermarket chains in the country. Shockingly, despite their humility, the Masons were actually more wealthy than the Gellars.
The Union
Warren pleaded for the Masons to come back inside and they finally agreed. Once there, the two families instructed the MC to keep the guests happy for a few minutes and had a quick meeting. Warren’s parents were calmer now and even apologized for their behavior.
Warren explained who the Masons actually were. With a huge dose of humility for the Gellars after learning they were the less well-off couple, a quick truce was called and the wedding was finally back on.
The Value of Values
The wedding ended up going smoothly from there. Afterward, the two families took some time out to get to know each other better. The Gellars ended up actually admiring the Masons for how humble they were in spite of their success.
The Masons explained that they had been raised that way. They valued hard work and simplicity above anything else and had raised Susan to value decency and humility above material things.
One Family
Over time, the two families grew close and learned to respect each other. Warren and Susan were always the glue that brought the two families together. When they finally announced that a grandchild was on the way, both sides were ecstatic.
After living with Susan long enough, Warren knew exactly how he wanted to raise their son. His wife and her parents had taught him that the most valuable assets a person could have, were simply good values themselves.